Jonny Brownlee breaks elbow in nasty crash at World Triathlon Championship Series race in Leeds

Jonny Brownlee faces a fitness battle to be ready for the summer’s Commonwealth Games after a nasty crash at his home race.
Read More
World Triathlon: How Tom Bishop and Sian Rainsley are driving each other on to s...

Olympic champion Brownlee broke his elbow after crashing from his bike on the second leg of the World Triathlon Championship Series event in Leeds on Saturday.

He then took aim at rival competitors for their disregard for safety.

Down and out: Jonny Brownlee is attended to by medics after a nasty crash left him with a broken elbow in his home World Triathlon race. Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe)Down and out: Jonny Brownlee is attended to by medics after a nasty crash left him with a broken elbow in his home World Triathlon race. Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe)
Down and out: Jonny Brownlee is attended to by medics after a nasty crash left him with a broken elbow in his home World Triathlon race. Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe)
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The race was run over the sprint distance in Roundhay Park, which is half the length of the Olympic distance that has customarily been run in the world event in Leeds.

“Not how I thought the weekend was going to go,” he wrote on social media.

“Another athlete crashed in front of me and I had nowhere to go. Hit the ground hard and broke my elbow. Sorry to let the amazing Leeds crowd down.

“I know these things happen in sport but the racing is definitely getting more dangerous and it is down to a select few athletes.

AJ Bell 2022 World Triathlon Championship Series Leeds.
Jonny Brownlee gets on his bike before his crash (Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe)AJ Bell 2022 World Triathlon Championship Series Leeds.
Jonny Brownlee gets on his bike before his crash (Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe)
AJ Bell 2022 World Triathlon Championship Series Leeds. Jonny Brownlee gets on his bike before his crash (Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe)

“We need to look after each other better.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Commonwealth Games begin on Thursday July 28 with Brownlee selected to compete for the third time.

The reigning Olympic mixed relay champion already has three medals from previous Commonwealth Games.

Britain’s Olympic individual silver medallist Alex Yee was also caught up in the incident.

AJ Bell 2022 World Triathlon Championship Series Leeds - An emotional Cassandre Beaugrand claims victory in the women's race (Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe)AJ Bell 2022 World Triathlon Championship Series Leeds - An emotional Cassandre Beaugrand claims victory in the women's race (Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe)
AJ Bell 2022 World Triathlon Championship Series Leeds - An emotional Cassandre Beaugrand claims victory in the women's race (Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe)

Eventual race winner Hayden Wilde took responsibility for the collision and apologised to the British duo after the race.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The New Zealander said: “It’s a bittersweet victory to be honest, there was part of that collision which was probably my fault.

“I just really want to apologise to Jonny Brownlee and Alex Yee, and my team-mate (Dylan McCullough) who I actually collided into a little bit, on the uphill there was a lot of speed going through there and we just caught that momentum and the guys went down behind me.”

Tireless Tom Bishopsucceeded where others couldn’t by extending his proud record of finishing every single AJ Bell World Triathlon Championship Series in Leeds despite a chaotic men’s race.

A crowd watches the mens elite triathlon on Princess Avenue outside Roundhay Park, Leeds.A crowd watches the mens elite triathlon on Princess Avenue outside Roundhay Park, Leeds.
A crowd watches the mens elite triathlon on Princess Avenue outside Roundhay Park, Leeds.

Fittingly, Bishop claimed 33rd ahead of Australian Aaron Royle, the only other athlete on the start line to have completed the five previous races,

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Derby-born Bishop was surprisingly the first Brit to be roared home at Roundhay Park in his adopted hometown of Leeds where he moved for university before training and setting up base alongside long-term partner Sian Rainsley, who finished 15th in the women’s race.

“It was brutal, really hard. It was carnage from the start, to be honest,” explained the 30-year-old.

“It would have been interesting to see how Alex [Yee] would have fared had he not been involved in the crash and Jonny [Brownlee] as they have both been doing really well.

“I just saw the guys on the ground, I heard there was an overlap of wheels and when you are riding that close you can’t really escape it. It’s just bad luck and it was gusty weather out there as well so maybe a bit of wind but I’m not really sure.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Hopefully they recover pretty well as it’s the Commonwealth Games next for those two, so let’s see what they can do.”

Action from the AJ Bell 2022 World Triathlon Championship Series Leeds.
 (Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe)Action from the AJ Bell 2022 World Triathlon Championship Series Leeds.
 (Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe)
Action from the AJ Bell 2022 World Triathlon Championship Series Leeds. (Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe)

Imeprious Georgia Taylor-Brown brushed off a “really rubbish” start to continue her flawless form and take second at the AJ Bell 2022 World Triathlon Championship Series Leeds.

The Olympic silver medallist won in Yokohama in May and maintained her position at the top of the World Series standings with a second successive podium after powering through the field during the run.

Taylor-Brown shared the stage with compatriot Sophie Coldwell who matched her efforts from 12 months ago by taking third despite having led for large portions of the race as France’s Cassandre Beaugrand proved too strong for the British duo even with a late 10-second time penalty for mounting her bike before the line. The result brought much-needed cheer for the home crowd, who had earlier witnessed Alex Yee and Jonny Brownlee crash out on the bike during the men’s race.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Manchester-born Taylor-Brown, 28, said: “It was really, really hard today. I had a really rubbish start, so I just had to make sure that didn’t get to me. I just had to think, ‘Okay we are over that now, let’s move on and just try and work hard throughout.’

“The bike didn’t really get moving but Sophie was incredible at the front, she was just pulling more and more time away. I thought ‘Oh god, that is ridiculous!’

“I’m so proud of Soph today, and it’s so nice to share the podium with another Brit.”

Taylor-Brown battled through the swim in Waterloo Lake but pinpointed her transition onto the bike as a key stumbling block that set her back early in the race.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I had a bit of a rubbish swim. I got smacked around a lot and coming into the finish I moved back quite a few places because there was a lot of people coming on top of each other there,” explained Taylor-Brown, who emerged from the water in 11th place.

“Then I just couldn’t get my wetsuit off - I had an absolute nightmare, so I lost a few spaces there.

“Then I couldn’t get my bike shoes on, which is not ideal when you go straight up that hill but my feet were just so cold from the water.”

Taylor-Brown kept her cool and stormed through the 5km run, overtaking her teammate and making up the time she had lost earlier on her rivals.

The AJ Bell 2022 World Triathlon Leeds made its return to the city for the sixth time and if you’ve been inspired to take part visit https://www.britishtriathlon.org/get-involved/what-is-triathlon

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.